Ewart Williams takes stand today

FORMER Central Bank governor Ewart Williams is scheduled to take the witness stand today at the Commission of Enquiry into the collapse of CL Financial, three of its subsidiaries and the Hindu Credit Union (HCU).

Williams was the Central Bank governor when the conglomerate collapsed in 2009.

He retired as governor in July and was replaced by Jwala Rambarran.

Williams was not originally scheduled to testify in the enquiry today.

However, due to concerns raised by former CLICO Investment Bank (CIB) president Richard Trotman at yesterday's sitting, Williams was contacted by the Central Bank and asked to take the witness stand.

Trotman expressed his "disquiet" in testifying following British Queen's Counsel Edward Jenkins's request to lone commissioner Sir Anthony Colman that the enquiry be discontinued in public to ensure that an ongoing criminal investigation is not prejudiced.

Jenkins has been retained by Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Roger Gaspard.

Gaspard has so far made three unsuccessful attempts to have the public hearings discontinued.